It’s probably one of your worst fears as you set off for a foreign motoring holiday: what happens if you break down abroad, and what should you do?
Careful preparation
If your car is well-maintained and it has been serviced to schedule, then you’re already reducing the risk of it breaking down in the first place. Allow plenty of time to get any issues fixed before you set out – and get those odd little niggles and noises sorted out before you go. Irritating minor faults could well turn into holiday-ending major problems after a long stint on the road. Check all your car’s vital fluids, its headlights and all electrical systems, plus its brakes and tyres (including the spare) – and those of your caravan or trailer, if you’re going to be towing.
Essential kit
Check the requirements for the country you’re visiting; if you’re going to mainland Europe, you’ll need headlamp adaptors and spare headlamp bulbs. Many countries also state that drivers must, by law, carry two warning triangles and fluorescent jackets or reflective vests to ensure visibility to other road-users if you break down. Remember to pack a comprehensive road atlas – don’t just rely on sat nav – and make sure you have noted down the relevant emergency numbers for the country you’re visiting.
Take the correct documentation for your car, such as an insurance Green Card, as well as your own driving licence and, if necessary, your international driver’s permit. A spare set of keys is also a good idea – but don’t carry them in the same place as your other set!
Make sure that your car insurance policy covers you for driving abroad. Whilst many policies do provide cover, it's often not at the same level as you have in the UK, so you might have to pay an extra premium on top. Some policies however will provide UK level of cover as standard. Even if your car is new, it could also be well worth having breakdown cover – do you really want to change a tyre on a high-speed autobahn at night after a blowout? Some car insurance policies will include European breakdown cover, or offer it as an extra-cost option, and even cover a breakdown up to seven days before you depart.
Check that you’ll be covered for the cost of repatriating your car (and caravan, and your family) if it’s not possible to repair it by the roadside or at a local garage – a tow-back from France, for example, can easily add up to £1,200 or so.
On the road
Pull off the road to a safe area or onto a hard shoulder if possible, turn on your hazard lights, and place your warning triangle behind the car if required. If you’re stuck on a busy or fast-moving road, it’s safest to wait away from the car if you feel secure, but if you want to stay inside, move to the side of the car furthest away from the traffic; if leaving the car, wear a reflective vest. Try to pull into a service station, rest-place or layby if you can, or if not, by an emergency phone – rescue services will be more easily able to find you.
Don’t try and fix the car yourself – or change a wheel – if you’re on the side of a motorway or busy road. It’s much safer to allow the professionals to do this.
On French autoroutes and in some other countries, including on some stretches of British motorway, broken-down vehicles will first be towed to a place of safety by local operators; you will then be able to call your breakdown provider from this location.
The procedure from this point will depend on your car’s problem and the ease of fixing it; a breakdown service may judge it easier to have a car towed back to the UK for repair than to have it fixed locally – as long as the cost of repatriation does not exceed the value of the car. Check whether your breakdown cover will compensate you for any additional travel costs, hotel bills, hire cars or other expenses incurred; there may be a limit imposed.
With good preparation and adequate car insurance and breakdown cover, if the worst does happen, then the stress will be minimised.
Issued by Sainsbury’s Finance
